Single mums’ barcode system for uniforms could make them lost property millionaires

Sally Murrer

Published:14:16Thursday 12 May 2016

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Two single mums fed up with their children losing school jumpers have devised a unique barcode system that could make them lost property millionaires.

Selina Pawar and Tracy Baker are this week launching their business called Tagmykidz and hope to collar the clothing label market all over the UK.

The friends, who have six children between them, dreamed up the idea of creating stick-on labels with unique barcodes that can be scanned on an ipad to identify the owner.

They hired a computer expert to devise the barcode software, and sourced an organic and water resistant material on which to print the labels.

They are now trialling their patented products at a school in Milton Keynes, where four of their respective children are pupils.

They plan to have special “tidy days” where all lost property is scanned and returned to the rightful child. And they will even to give a free ipad to schools so children can learn to scan items themselves.

“Like all parents, we’ve spent hours rifling through school lost property boxes and getting cross when expensive items of uniform vanish, never to be seen again,” said mum-of-five Tracey.

“We’re both on tight budgets, so it’s really annoying when children lose expensive things – often just days into a new term. Mine can lose anything – even shoes and socks!”

She and Selena, who worked together as travel consultants, moaned to the school about missing items.

“The school said: ‘Why don’t you do something to solve the problem?’. So we did,” said Selena.

Having perfected the barcode system, the mums are now working on their next project – a tiny GPS tracker device that can be attached to a child’s clothing.

It will enable worried parents to know exactly where their offspring is at any moment.